Saturday, January 30, 2010

It seems lately that I need a deadline to get anything done! Or, to quote one of my favorite sayings . . ."If it wasn't for the last minute I wouldn't get ANYTHING done!"

So it goes with the latest Sketch Girl and PMS Makeup for the weekend challenge. I was able to combine the two challenges (procrastination and multi-tasking at it's finest) to come up with this . . . It's a little late, but here it is;

The sketch . . .

The inspiration pic . . .

The card . . .

I love the blue against the white and black in the inspiration pic - such a pretty color combo. I'm not sure if I'm 100% satisfied with the hearts "wings". I might have to fiddle with that a little bit. But overall, I'm O.K. with how it turned out. We have a wedding coming up in a couple of months and I thought this would make a nice wedding or V-day card.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Just an update! My poor poor blog, I'm sure it feels so deserted and unloved :0(

To say that the past few weeks have been hectic is an understatement! I globe trotted to Scotland for what was supposed to have been a 2 week work trip. After 1 week I got the dreaded email "call home". Heart stops beating, you can't breathe, fingers shaking as you press the numbers . . . my grandma passed away. Although I was sad, it was a sigh of relief. She had not been well for awhile and I knew she was finally at peace. So, back across the pond to go home and prepare. 1 1/2 days later I was back on a plane to Seattle for the wake and funeral. Emotional chaos, tears and major jet lag do not mix well :0)!! 24 hours in Seattle and then back home again to try and figure out which time zone I'm in, how many hours of sleep I have missed in the past week, and how I'm going to get caught up on everything that I am sooo behind in - including my craftiness and my deserted blog. I haven't been in much of a crafty mood lately. I think being emotinally drained and sleep deprived must have drained my mojo too :0) - not to mention I left my camera in Scotland. Hopefully it will find it's way home soon!

So I have nothing crafty to share, just my story. I did want to write what I said at my Grandma's funeral. You don't have to read it. I just want to put it in writing . . . she was a letter writer, she loved receiving mail too . . . this is my letter to her . . .

My Grandma was a very social person and by social I mean she loved to talk! Her favorite subject, of course, was her family. She would talk to anyone who would listen, willing or unwilling, about her family - both extended and immediate. She had a heart bigger than most and she genuinely cared for and was concerned about each and everyone.

My Grandma was a great teacher and mentor to many important things in life;

1. She taught me the importance of prayer and how to say them correctly :0) In fact, I'm pretty sure many of my prayers in life were answered because she was right there making them her own as well.

2. She taught me to eat my vegetables and finish my dinner . . .if only for the simple reason that dessert came right after!

3. She taught me that the bus was not just a means of public transportation but a daily journey and adventure. I remember once I asked her when or where does the bus end? Her reply, "Let's find out!" So we did . . .we spent most of the day riding the bus just to see where it would go :0)

4. Most importatnly she taught me the importance of family and loving them unconditionally . . . and to brag about them to anyone who will listen :0)

I know it's sad to say goodbye to someone you love and that with death comes sorrow and grief. But I can honestly say that I am happy!

I'm hapy that I got to spend 40 years growing up with;

A LOVING woman that touched so many peoples hearts and livesA NURTURING woman that taught and influenced me in so many waysAn AMAZING woman that I was lucky and blessed to call "Grandma"

I have no doubt she is up there holding Grandpa's hand . . . probably scolding him for leaving early without her! And undoubtedly bragging about her family to anyone who will listen!!

Friday, January 15, 2010

After a little holiday hiatus, Sketch Girl Blog is back - better than ever!New format, new prizes, and new great sketches for you to play along with :0)

Here's the first sketch of the new year;

January's sketches are sponsored by Perfect Presentation, a new line of affordable templates that you print, cut, score and assemble. All template purchases come with instructions that include photos to help with assembly and adhesive placement. Measurements and/or templates are included to make cutting decorative panels quick and easy. Available at www.thewildflowerpatch.com/shop.

Here's my interpretation of the sketch;

I made this about 10 minutes before leaving for my business trip. I actually had to make my ride wait until I finished gluing everything together!! I packed my card in my bag and took a picture under very limited lighting in my hotel room :0)

There's lots of info on the blog, so check it out!! There are prizes to be won and a guest designer spot up for grabs. You can view other DT members blogs listed below.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

It's Tursday the 14th which means it's BLOG HOP time for Paper Makeup Stamps!! If you want to start at the beginning, go back to the PMS BLOG and hop along a fabulous trail of PMS goodness! If you're coming here from Maria's blog then you're well on your way and in the right spot :0)

Today I'm show casing one of the new wordart singles, but I decided to pair him up with one of my favorite little fella's - Brandt. He's showing the sign language symbol "I Love You". I think it's just so setimentally sweet it just about chokes me up just to look at him :0)

Remember to collect your letters along the way for your secret code to "unlock" some fabby savings at PMS. All of the details can be found on the blog. So in true Brandt style, I thought I'd give you the next letter just like he would!!

Have a great day everyone and if you get the chance join in on all the PMS Release Party fun tonight at 8:00 CST!!

Now hop on over to one of our awesome new design team members - MELYSSA's BLOG -- for some eye candy that's sure to leave you drooling over this new release :0)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Hi Everyone! I'm back with another sneak peak from Paper Makeup Stamps January release!

This card showcases "Ally" the cute little fairy with her equally adorable dolly fairy friend :0) I must admit I was not a real girly girl. I don't think I ever had my own tea set :0( I did play with Barbies and remember my favorite Rub-a-Dub dolly (whose hair turned into a brillo pad after the first time in the tub), but my mom has tapes of me asking Santa for a dump truck and a garbage truck !! Maybe it was divine intervention that I had 3 boys :0)

Anyhoo, back to the card! I was having a hard time trying to design this card. Usually when I'm having trouble - and even when I'm not, my favorite way to get my mojo flowing is by visiting all of my favorite bloggers to see what they're up to and gain inspiration.

So, when I hopped over to Pickled Paper Designs and saw THIS card by the super uber talented Amy Sheffer, I knew I wanted to try a similar layout, and Ally was the perfect one to try it with. The sentiment, which fits in with many of the images being released this month, is a word art single and I LOVE it! It was a little too big to fit inside the scalloped fancy tag die I had, so I just mounted it on top - just as cute IMO! Be sure to check out the other releases today over at the PMS BLOG and check back tomorrow for the Release Day Blog Hop!!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Hello everyone- Happy Love Day PMS style! It's January release time and I'm here with a new Moody and sentiment for your viewing pleasure . . . .

I had fun coloring in this Moody for Love, not so much coloring as some of the other Moodys but still as striking. The sentiment is one from a "llove themed" set called Hugs and Kisses. It's really "sweet" (pun intended). I used a puffy sticker heart on the card, but there is actually a heart under there that is part of the stamp! All of the stamps in the set are versatile enough for many occaisions. Check out the PMS blog for other Love Day sneak peaks :0)

Well, It's 3:00 a.m. CST and I'm sitting in London Heathrow airport typing this post! I had planned to have these already to post, but got busy with packing and totally forgot. But at least it is helping me pass the time as I wait for my connecting flight to Scotland :0) It's a beautiful place, but getting there is hell!!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Is this title a little confusing? I mean it is Wednesday right? Well, a new sketch went up yesterday over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. And since PMS is the sponsor this week, I thought I'd play along!!

I used the word art quote from RWE as the focal point and then used the butterfly from Buggy Sayings around the edges. First I stamped my whole image out, then used my Nestie to cut out the wordart with only parts of the butterfly being visible. Then, with the cardstock still in the Nestie I sponged around the edges. Finally, I stamped one extra butterfly, cut it out and mounted it on top of the original "piece". There's alot going on in thin this card, but I was trying to stay close tot he sketch.

Like sketch challenges? Then hop on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches and check out what everyone else has done and join in on the fun for your chance to win some PMS goodies!

It's hump day of the first week back to work. I'm ready for the weekend, already :0) I hope the rest of your week is just ga-roovy!!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year!! I'm sure most people will still be sleeping off the nights festivities when this post goes live - including me! ;0) . I created this card for the Paper Makeup Stamps "Makeup for the Weekend Challenge 10".

The challenge is to use blue and silver in honor of the New Year celebration.I had the idea to create a fun and festive party hat card. My youngest sons 6th birthday is tomorrow - my baby is getting so big :0(, so I had birthday card on the mind as well.

I decided to use Dreck from PMS as the focal point because when I looked at him he reminded me of John Travolta gettinghis groove on in the movie Saturday Night Fever! I kknow I'm probably really dating myself :0). I also kept thinking of the phrase "party monster". However, it wasn't until I almost finished the card that I realized the phrase is "party animal", not party monster!! Oh well, do monsters qualify as animals (hee hee) ??

I used a leftover bow from my Christmas wrapping stash for the top of the hat. Dreck is actually cutout and popped up on a coiled silver pipe cleaner - he really sticks out! And I used glitterly silver sticker letters to spell out Par-tay!

If you are interested in playing along, just link up your card to the PMS blog so we can all see!

Thanks for stopping by, looking forward to blogging and hopping with all of you throughout the new year. I hope 2010 holds nothing but the best of health and happiness for all!!

About Me

I have always enjoyed being creative. Nowadays, however, life takes precedence. This is where I come to play; to rendezvous with my creative side and hopefully create something that makes me happy. This is my stamping ground!